


Among the Pages

by CourageofAwesome



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Born in the wrong time, F/M, Link is a little ooc, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating might go up, Starts off in a Modern Hyrule, Time Travel, Training Montage, War, Who is the Royal Family ?, inspired by a writing prompt, nerdy Link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:09:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22089157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourageofAwesome/pseuds/CourageofAwesome
Summary: When confronted with treasonous thoughts, Link finds himself swept back in time to rewrite history. Just whose family is supposed to sit on the royal throne? Is he strong enough to make things right? And why was magic wiped out to the point of near extinction in the first place?
Relationships: Link/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter One

People clamored down the street in their haste, not really paying much attention to their surroundings. They were much too busy trying to get to their destinations. Some were headed to their place of employment and others were completing errands. Everyone was moving with plans in mind. All except one, that is.

A young man no older than twenty-two, straight out of college, was quite content to simply meander around. He had just moved to Castle Town and was eager to explore what it had to offer. Link chuckled to himself at the thought of this place being a town. Perhaps long ago it could have been considered a town, but it was now a genuine metropolis now. It was bound to have grown in the past couple centuries after all. And despite it all, the castle from whence the town got its name still stood strong in the center of the city many years later.

Pulling his jacket closer around himself, Link resisted the urge to shiver. Fall was finally setting in, the wind bringing the promises of a cold front. And with the wind came messy hair. Stopping for a brief moment, Link pulled his hair tie from his wrist and set about putting his hair into a low ponytail. “That’s better,” he said, tightening the tail. From his current position off to the side of the street, Link took notice of a small coffee shop. “I could go for something warm,” he decided on a whim.

The sound of tinkling bell greeted Link’s ears upon entering the shop. It was nice to see some shops were doing that instead of the shrill beeps and chimes of electronic doorbells. A curvaceous woman stood behind the counter, a glass display case filled with sweets next to her and the register. She greeted Link with a friendly grin. “How are you doing, hon?” she asked cheerily. “Welcome to Telma’s Treats! I’m Telma! We’re partnered with Goron Grounds so that we can bring you the best drinks in the city. If it’s a treat you’re after, we have plenty of snacks to satisfy your sweet tooth.”

Link smiled as he walked up to the counter. “Hi, I’m actually new to this area, so I have no idea what to get. What would you recommend?”

She thought for a moment, humming as she did so. Link couldn’t help but notice the little dots of color on the woman’s cheeks. They really brought out the green in her eyes. She snapped her fingers suddenly. “I’ve got just the thing!” she exclaimed. With a rather sassy turn, red braids whipping about, Telma worked quickly to brew up a drink. Within minutes, a steaming cup was placed on the counter. “Well? Try it, try it!”

He picked up the drink and blew across the surface before taking a sip. Link’s taste buds lit up at the flavors dancing across his tongue. “Wow! This tastes amazing!”

Telma giggled. “It’s my special blend. If you think that’s good, you should taste my mixed drinks. Which reminds me, if it interests you, I also run the bar next store. You should come check it out one evening.”

“I’ll be sure to do that. And being a barkeep, I’m sure you know all the best gossip in the city,” Link jokingly admitted.

“You bet I do. Whatcha looking for, hon?”

Link shrugged. “Just some interesting places to visit. Know any?”

Pointing out down the road, Telma instructed, “Actually there’s a nice little bookshop down the road here. It’s a bit odd, as is the shopkeeper, but there’s quite a few good books in there. I’d really recommend going there if you’re a fan of books.”

His eyes lighting up, Link placed a couple of rupees on the counter. “I think I’ll head there now. Thanks!” And with that, Link set off for the shop. He walked across the cobblestones rather briskly, eager to find the shop. It had been awhile since he got a new book, and now there was a shop that could potentially feed his addiction, because while it may not seem so, Link was actually a huge nerd… self-proclaimed. And there was little that satisfied him like a good book. Link felt giddy at the thought of a new book and hurried himself further, if that was even possible.

When he found the shop, Link was delighted to see that it was a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, a place usually only known by the locals. They always had the best merchandise when it came to the area they were found in. Maybe he’d find some local lore here. There had to be tons with the rich history of Castle Town. Entering, Link was greeted to, not another bell, but the smell of dusty books and the tick tock of a grandfather clock. There were rows and rows of shelves, not just filled with books, but with other doodads and knickknacks as well. Link couldn’t wait to dig in.

But the place was empty. Not a person in sight.

“Hello?” he called out. “Is anyone here? The sign said you were open.”

A door in the back swung open, and a little old lady hobbled out. “Oh, my!” she said, surprised to see someone. “It’s been a quite a long time since someone’s come.”

“I can’t see why,” Link said, shaking his head. “Your shop is quite charming.”

The old lady blushed, shuffling her way towards Link. “You’re so kind and handsome too. Tell me, dear, what can ol’ Impaz do for you?” Red eyes looked up at Link with a gentle sincerity.

“I’m just here to look at some books.”

Impaz laughed tiredly. “Well, I have plenty of those. Feel free to look around. If any of my cats get in the way, just scoot them along. Have fun.” Returning to the room she emerged from, Impaz left Link to his own devises, already trusting the young Hylian not to steal her wares. A little too trusting, if Link were to be honest, but it only increased the fondness he felt towards her.

Link wandered around the little shop, stopping to browse through book titles and play with the things he found on the shelves. Eventually, Link stumbled upon a rather thick tome labeled: _The Overthrowing the Royal Family and the Magic Cull._ It was a rather rare book due to the controversial content. The king wasn’t a huge fan on anything from before the time of his family’s rule. But Link wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by due to a little thing like censorship. He plucked the book from the shelf and moved to the reading area, a cozy little nook with a couple of chairs and a couch upholstered in red. He sat down in the one chair not occupied by Impaz’s furry friends and began to read.

_Not much is known about the time before our great leader’s rule, and even less is known about the magic that once thrived through the land. This book will go in detail about what happened and why those with magical genes were hunted to extinction…_

* * *

“My boy,” Impaz called out. Link looked up from his book, alarmed to see how dark the shop had gotten. “It’s gotten quite late,” she warned. “You best hurry home before curfew strikes. You wouldn’t want to be caught by the patrol.”

Link grew alarmed. “I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. Let me buy this before I leave.” Impaz rang up his purchase, and Link left to start his journey home. He stopped to look at the dark spiraling towers piercing the sunset sky. He wondered if they were always so menacing looking, or was it because of his reading material that they were so threatening to him now.

With a sigh, he carried on to his apartment in the lower ward. The upper ward was for the wealthiest of the wealthy. And that was namely the Gerudo. Come to think of it, Link wondered if Telma lived in the upper ward. She seemed to have some Gerudo heritage to her. Not that it mattered. Link was a Hylian so there wasn’t anything he could do about it anyway.

Making it to his small, quaint apartment, Link headed inside just as the town’s clock chimed for all to hear. Curfew. He had just made it before curfew. Link sighed with relief, slumping against his door, his new book clutched in his arms. Retreating into the kitchen, Link fixed himself a sandwich before sitting at the table. He flipped open the book and continued to read.

_The war was terrible and great. Our new Royal Family was sitting comfortably in their new home. But there was a problem. There were very few in our king’s homeland that could actually use magic, and most that were used were combat spells. They were simple and fairly crude forms of fire and lightening. The king himself, along with a select few women who dedicated their entire lives to magic, are the only ones capable of using higher forms of it. No, the people of our king prefer the power of their own strength increased through brutal physical training that would rival any of the races’._

* * *

When he wasn’t working at his job, Link’s current job was a corporate job that most Hylians worked at least once in their life—he specifically worked in the IT Department—he found himself either at Telma’s or Impaz’s. He had grown fairly close to the two women in his short time in the city. They were both very kind for very different reasons that made them unique. While Telma felt a bit like an older sister in a strange way, Impaz gave off a very sweet old grandmother vibe.

Impaz had her own strange mannerisms, however.

Link often wondered what it was the Impaz did in the back room of her shop. She would disappear and leave Link alone for hours on end, which still didn’t seem like a sound business practice to the young Hylian. It surely must be important, whatever she was doing.

The book Link had purchased the other day had gotten very interesting. The more he read, the more he realized that the author was definitely not fond of the king and his family. The words of the author were very pretty and poetic, flowery for all concerns and purposes, but they were merely a mask, a façade for the true purposes and intentions of the book. It was quite simple really. Fool others into thinking you were loyal while using underlying tones to suggest otherwise.

It wasn’t anything super obvious, just small words that wouldn’t belong in a certain phrase or something that would imply sarcasm, things that could easily be mistaken for editing mistakes or typos.

“Link, honey?” Telma inquired, interrupting Link’s thought process. He was sitting at a booth in Telma’s Treats, nursing a cup of coffee with a slice of pie. Telma was standing over him, a concerned look on her face. “Are you alright?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s just… do you ever wonder if you’ve been born… in the wrong time or something?”

“Uh, that’s pretty deep. What caused this line of thought?”

“I’ve just been reading this book lately and it keeps talking about how things might have been if the old Royal Family had never been overthrown in the first place. I just can’t help, but wonder what would have happened if things were different,” Link explained. Would he having been there possibly have solved anything? Could one person even do anything at all?

Telma’s face twisted with mild anger, but Link could tell it was just a mask for concern. “Now, you listen here, young man! You best be careful talking about things like that! What are you even doing reading that?” She let out a dramatic huff, hands perched on her hips. “Honestly, what would I do knowing that you’ve been taken to the dungeons for spouting treasonous ideas?”

“It’s not like I mean to!”

“Look,” she took a breath, “if you need a place to talk about this kind of stuff, I help run a group of sorts that are for the betterment of Hyrule. You can talk about these ideas there… just not in public… please.”

Link’s brain whirled. “What?”

“A bird born in a cage thinks freedom is a crime, Link. You’re not wrong to question, but it’s dangerous, so we have to know when. The last thing we need is the guard coming and knocking down my door. This is a reputable establishment after all.” Telma gave him a smile and a wink.

 _So I’m not alone in my thoughts,_ Link came to realize. He returned Telma’s smile and took a sip of his drink. “I understand,” he said at last. “I suppose King Ganondorf coming in for anything other than a cup of coffee is probably not good.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a long time, and I'm sorry. I've just been so uninspired for the past year. And college is really getting me down. But thanks to someone reading another story of mine and leaving a wonderful comment, I feel the need to write again. So here's another chapter.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy and leave feedback. It does help, and it inspires me to write more when I see people enjoying my work.
> 
> Thanks!

Link looked at the piece of paper in his hand, strange words scrawled on the surface. Telma told him to go to the bar this evening with this very piece of paper on this very specific day, so here he was. Nervous energy coursed through him and he raised a fist to rap against the door.

A panel slid open, a pair of eyes peeking out. “Password?”

“Uh,” he looked to the paper. “The red bird watches?” The eyes looked impressed and the door swung open creakily. Link stepped inside, crumbling the paper and shoving it back into his pocket. “Thanks,” he told the doorman.

“Link!” a voice called. The young Hylian’s head swung to the direction of the bar, spotting Telma behind it. “Honey, you made it,” she smiled as Link walked over.

He laughed. “You invited me! Of course I would show up!” Telma placed a drink in front of him and he picked it up to take a sip. “So what’s all this about?”

Telma leaned in and gave a wink, reaching out to take Link’s hand. She patted the top of it comfortingly. “Well, I invited you here due to your comment from the other day. I wanted to introduce you to a couple of people. Much like tonight, we have nights where people with controversial opinions come to share their ideas.” Telma stepped around from the bar and led Link to a table where a group of people were nursing their own drinks. “Everyone!” Telma announced. “This is Link, the young man I was speaking about.”

Four heads turned in his direction, and Link clammed up. Holding his drink in one hand, he raised the other one awkwardly in greeting. “Hey,” he choked, voice cracking. “I, uh, nice… to meet you?”

The only girl of the group raised an eyebrow, drawing attention to the dark circles around her eyes. “This… is him?” she questioned. “He doesn’t look like much.” Link knew he should take offense to this, but he felt he couldn’t blame her.

“Ashei, don’t be rude,” the man with the glasses said. “I’m Shad, by the way. The older gents are Auru and Rusl. Don’t be put off by Ashei, she’s like that one with everyone.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Link commented dryly, taking a sip.

Rusl pulled out a chair and invited Link to sit down. Telma walked away and retuned with a platter of food and joined the group. “So tell me, Link, what brings you here? What did Telma see in you that she thought you should know about our meetings?”

Link hesitated for a moment, mouth running dry. He really wasn’t very good in these kinds of situations when the spotlight was on him. He preferred to stay quiet. “Well, I guess I was wondering what would Hyrule would have been like under a different ruler, but I mean who hasn’t?”

“You’d be surprised, my boy,” Auru said sadly. “Most people are content to live their daily lives just going on without questioning anything. Why did you question this?”

They Hylian shrugged. “I was reading a book and the author was just saying things that made sense, I guess.” 

“If you’re interested—“

Link looked at his phone. “Well, I need to go. I was going to swing by the bookstore before curfew.”

Standing up quickly, Link headed out the door and down the street. He pulled his jacket closer in on himself to protect from the wind tunneling through the alleys. It was getting colder and colder. Breathing out, a puff of fog seeped from Link’s mouth. He wanted to hurry with this trip so he could get back to his apartment. He wanted to relax with a warm shower before crawling into the covers. The last couple of minutes were way too much stimulation for him and too many things were rushing through his head.

_Is Telma a secret underground leader of a terrorist organization? Were they trying to recruit me as an anarchist? And what was with the whole secret meeting? Is it a cult?!_

Link was panicking now. He was probably being totally illogical about all this, but he couldn’t help it. When his brain got to thinking, it was a whirl of trying to solve every possible problem that came into his head.

His steps slowing before coming to a complete stop, Link took a deep breath. “Just calm down,” he told himself. “Telma isn’t some crazy mafia leader… Could that even be considered mafia?” He shook his head. “Never mind.” Link looked up and his eyes widened. A light could be seen in the distance from where the book store was located. “What is that?”

Link hurried down the street and to the store. A bright light was streaming from the windows, but as he approached they quickly died out. He opened the door slowly, the familiar bell chiming. “Impaz?” he called out. “A-Are you alright? I saw a strange light.” Link stepped into the store, looking this way and that for the old woman. She was nowhere to be seen. “Maybe the back room,” Link pondered.

Making his way to the lone door, dodging the cats that quickly swarmed his feet—familiar friends greeting him—Link gripped the doorknob hesitantly. He knew only Impaz was allowed back here, but what if she needed help? Link twisted the knob and the door practically flew open. There, in the room, with nothing else in sight, was a book. The book sat on a lone pedestal, strange runes inscribed into the cover. The cover itself was made of old and worn leather, the edges of the spine having seen better days.

Tracing the runes on the cover, Link held his breath. His mind felt fuzzy, something pulling on it, urging him to open the book. His fingers slipped underneath the edge and the book opened, revealing worn, yellow pages. Spotting the markings and symbols on the pages, Link immediately knew what kind of book this was. “A grimoire?” What was Impaz doing with a grimoire? Even if she could perform magic—the ability having been bred out of the common people long ago—it was illegal. Having this book could get the old woman in serious trouble.

As if on cue, the door to the shop shook with harsh knocking coming from the other side. Link jumped in surprise and slammed the book shut, gripping it tightly to his chest. “Open up, in the name of the King!” a woman’s voice bellowed. Link zipped to the door to the back room and closed it quickly and quietly, his heart hammering in his chest. The door to the shop banged open and Link began to panic.

_What do I do?! What do I do?!_

He spotted a window on the other side and dashed to it, but not before locking the door and bracing the pedestal the book was on underneath the knob. It would hold, but knowing how strong the Gerudo soldiers were Link wondered for how long. Wrenching the window open, Link threw a leg over the sill, the door to the room shaking behind him. “Hey!” came the voice from before. “Open this door!”

Link hurried outside and looked up and down the street. There was no way he would outrun a fully trained soldier. Not to mention he had no idea how many of them there were. With no other options, Link opted for the sneaky route. He shoved the grimoire into his bag and made a beeline for the closest fire escape. He climbed quickly, stumbling only once, and practically leapt up onto the roof of the building. Just in time too. No sooner had he made it up did the soldier climb out the window. Link prayed she wouldn’t think to look up.

He kept close to the roof’s surface, his body nearly lying on top of it. He dared not to move, fearing any sound might alert the woman below.

After a time, the sound of heeled shoes leaving the area filled Link with relief. He let out a huge breath he had no idea he had been holding and peered over the edge. The soldier was gone. “Thank Hylia,” Link breathed. Making his way down the ladder before walking back down the street, the way he came earlier, Link wondered where he should go. No one knew it was him in the shop, so his identity was safe… for now, but as long as he had the book he wasn’t safe.

Before he knew it, Link was standing outside the door of the bar. He knocked instinctually and the doorman immediately recognized him. “You’re back,” he said, matter-o-fact.

“Yeah,” Link agreed, voice a bit shaky. “Can I come back in?” The door opened, and Link entered without a word.

Telma spotted him immediately. “Link,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see you again tonight.”

Said Hylian licked his lips. They were chapped. “Yeah, me either,” he admitted. Nervously, he stepped up to the bar. “I found something I think you and your group of friends should look at… Is-Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

Motioning to the doorman to watch the door, Telma announced that the bar was closing and came out from around the bar and ushered Link upstairs into what appeared to be a living area. She retreated back downstairs to get the remaining members of her group while Link sat anxiously on the couch. Moments later, the room filled up with a set of familiar faces.

“What’s this about, yeah?” Ashei questioned. “I was enjoying my beer.”

Link stood straight up from his seat and hurried to the door, locking it. He rushed to any and all windows in the room and closed the curtains tightly. With nothing else to prep, Link reached into his bag and pulled out the grimoire. He could hear the audible gasps echo around the room before a painfully pregnant pause ensued.

“Is that—“ Shad trailed off. “My word. Wherever did you find this?”

Turning to Telma, his eyes pled with hers. “This is a safe space, Link. What you say here will remain confidential,” she assured.

Gripping the book tighter, Link turned his gaze to his shoes. They were nice shoes.

“Link?”

“The bookstore,” he said at last. “The owner, Impaz, wasn’t there, but I found it in an empty room. I think something happened to her.” Link swallowed his nerves. “A soldier came while I was there, and I was so scared to be seen with the book I ran.”

Auru hummed, placing his fingers against his chin. “That was a wise decision. You would surely have been put in the dungeons at the very least.” Link knew the old man was sugarcoating his fate for his sake, but he wished he would just be upfront about it after the night he’s had.

“What should I do with it?”

Telma sighed. “Honestly, I’m not sure. None of us can keep it due to our jobs of being public figures and easily recognizable. I think the best option for now would be for you to keep it hidden at your home.”

Link’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “Wait, why me?!”

“No one will suspect you,” Rusl tried to reassure him. “You work in IT, correct? No one would assume a corporate IT worker would be harboring a magical book.”

That did seem to be the most logical solution. “Fine.”

* * *

Link had no idea how he managed to get home that night before curfew, but he did. And the book was nestled deep in the drawers of his dresser, buried deep under his underwear. It seemed silly, but who would want to go looking through underwear?

A few days had passed since that night, and Link returned to work like nothing happened. He was masking his nerves remarkably well. And every day after work, Link would make his way to the bookstore to see if Impaz had returned.

She had not.

The store had been taped up with crime scene warnings, so Link couldn’t get in anyway. He wondered where all the cats had gone.

Currently, the young Hylian was sitting at home, staring blankly into the black screen of the TV. He had been that way for minutes now, having gotten back not long ago. He was so tempted to open up the grimoire again. He wanted to see what kind of magic was inside.

Link blinked, regaining his sense of awareness. He was at his dresser, the drawer wide open. “What am I doing?” he asked aloud. He hadn’t realized he had spaced out so much. His hand was practically on the book, pulling it out from its hiding place.

With a frustrated growl, Link slammed the drawer closed and collapsed on his bed. But no sooner had he done that did the feeling of wanting to read the book come rushing back to him. “Ah, what the hell?” He sat up quickly, getting to his feet. He closed his bedroom door, locking it, and closed his curtains. Eagerly, Link reopened the drawer and retrieved the book, opening it immediately.

He recognized the runes as an older version of the Hylian language. He could just barely read it. A magic circle was on the page as well. Magic circles were tricky, according the book. Very specific things were used to open up their gates. This one used blood. Link blanched, imagining all the blood that had been absorbed into the page. Was that what that stain was?

Link flipped the pages, stopping suddenly when he came across modern Hylian scrawled in the margins of a page. The writing was shaky, a feeble hand having written the letters—most likely Impaz. Stranger still, the note was addressed to him!

_Link, if you are reading this, I am no longer of this time. I knew immediately upon seeing you that you were meant for great things. Perform this spell and see for yourself._

The spell itself had something to do with “time”, but the title was worn, and Link couldn’t make the rest out. The magic circle here, much like the last one, required blood of the performer. “I must be crazy to even be considering this.” Link took out his switch blade and pricked the end of his finger with it, a small bead of blood welling up. He touched his finger to the page and began to read. “By the blood of my ancestors, take me to whence I am needed most.”

He waited… and waited… and waited. Nothing was happening. Link huffed. “This was stupid…” He drew back his finger and the page suddenly lit up, the magic circle flaring to life. The book shuttered in his hands, and Link immediately dropped it, watching as it shook viciously on the floor. He felt himself grow woozy, a tingling sensation in his head. He lifted his hand to cradle his head when he noticed himself disappearing. He was turning into what appeared to be sand, being swept up into the vortex that was the book. “What? WHAT’S HAPPENING?!” he yelled.

Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliche ending, I know, but it fits.
> 
> I hope you guys will forgive me for taking so long.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

His head felt heavy and a fog clouded his brain. A metallic taste filtered through his tongue. Link felt like he had basically been hit by a train. He rolled over to his back, groaning, the grimoire clutched in his hands.

Swollen eyes attempted to peer out and get a grasp of where their master was. There was a lot of green. Trees, perhaps? They were hard to make out in the lighting. A dark night sky acted as a backdrop, twinkling stars and a bright full moon shining in the inky blackness.

Where was he?

Link sat up with another groan, rubbing the back of his head. Surely this was still Hyrule. He thought back to what he was doing before. He read a spell from the book. THE BOOK! Impaz left him a note in the book! Flipping through the pages, Link came across the spell once again and reread the note two or three times before dropping it in morbid shock.

“Impaz said she wasn’t of this time anymore, but she wasn’t talking about dying…” Link spoke aloud. His brows furrowed. “She was talking about traveling to another time! Wait… does that mean I’m in another time too?”

He had so many questions. But the biggest one was whether or not he could get back to his own time. The page the magic circle was on was smeared with his blood, breaking the circle’s lines of magic. He doubted the spell would work now, and he couldn’t recall the exact shapes in the circle. Link would either have to find Impaz, who obviously knew the circle and spell without the book or another equally as knowledgeable mage. And there was no telling whether or not Impaz traveled to the same time; the book explicitly said to travel to the place where the user was needed most.

Why was Link needed here?

Getting to his feet, Link walked a ways away from his entry point and found himself at the edge of a plateau of sorts that overlooked a vast forest. Nestled between the trees, he could see lit houses. That was as good as any place to start.

It took well over an hour to successfully navigate through the forest, but it did bring up some important realizations. The spell wasn’t just about time travel as it also consisted of traveling through space. Due to the topography, Link could pretty much guarantee that he traveled back in time, but even coming back a couple of centuries shouldn’t have reduced Hyrule’s biggest city into a tiny village, so he must have popped up somewhere else in Hyrule.

The sun was just appearing over the horizon by the time he set foot in the village. People were starting to emerge from their houses, and they were all staring at him. He probably looked strange in his button down and khakis. These people were wearing no doubt handstitched clothes made from what fabric they had.

“Uh, hello,” Link said to the villagers with a wave of his hand. They continued to just stare, confused. Link mentally slapped himself. “Of course they wouldn’t understand you, you dolt! They don’t speak modern Hylian!” Was there a spell in the book that could help him?

Link flipped through the pages and conveniently enough, there was a translation spell it seemed. This one just required the mutterings of a few words. Speaking quickly, and hoping that he pronounced everything correctly, Link tried again. “Hello,” he spoke.

A middle aged, portly gentleman came forward. “Are you alright, young man?” he asked.

Link thanked Hylia that the spell worked. “Yes, I am,” he replied. “I do seem to be a bit lost, though. Where am I, if I may ask?”

“Why, you’re in Ordon Village of the Ordona Province.” That was about as south as one could get in Hyrule, confirming Link’s earlier suspicions. Why did the book take him here? “Are you a mage, my boy?” the man asked, gesturing to the grimoire.

“Ah, no. I’ve inherited it, of sorts. I’ve only just begun reading it, really.” He stared at the grimoire before dropping it to his side. He extended his hand. “Anyway, I’m Link.”

The large man gripped Link’s hand tightly. “I’m Bo, the mayor of the village.” He gestured to a blonde girl in the crowd behind him. “This is my daughter, Ilia.”

The girl batted her green eyes prettily at Link. The Hylian flushed and looked away, pulling at his collar. “Uh, nice to meet you.”

The crowd of people eventually lost interest in the new arrival and went about their business. Bo motioned for Link to follow him inside his house, Ilia following after them. Sitting down at the dining table, Link doing the same, they were served drinks by the blonde girl who quickly retreated up to what Link assumed was her room.

“So…” the mayor started, “you’re lost, you say?”

Link took a sip of his drink—goat milk—and nodded. “Yes, I’m actually trying to get back home, but I think I’ll need the help of a very powerful mage to do that.”

“Where are you from?”

“Very far.”

A pregnant silence filled the air, awkwardness settling into Link’s limbs. He fidgeted in his chair, gulping down his drink. It was only broken when the front door suddenly burst open, a man running inside, gasping for air.

“Mayor!”

“What? What is it?”

“Monsters…” he gasped. “Attacking… the village!”

The mayor was up in an instant, easing the man into his previously occupied chair. A shriek came from upstairs, Ilia running down. “The village is on fire!”

Bo gritted his teeth in irritation. “You three stay here,” he ordered, running from the house.

Ilia latched onto Link’s arm, eyes big and watery. “Please!” she pleaded. “My father! You must help him! He’s not as strong as he used to be!”

“What can _I_ do?!” Link questioned, gesturing to his gangly form.

“Please!”

Link stared down at the girl, his thoughts swirling in his head. He swallowed nervously and looked to the door. Shaking off the mayor’s daughter, Link hesitantly headed out the door, the grimoire completely forgotten on the table.

* * *

It was chaos. People were screaming in terror, running as the monsters descended upon them. Link never had to deal with monsters before, the walls surrounding the metropolis in his own time, taking care of that for him. And even then, the monsters dared not to attack lest they be wiped out by the king’s power.

His legs quivered, barely holding him up as he stood on the mayor’s porch. He was about to turn around and head back inside when he caught sight of a spectacular warrior. She brandished a short sword in one hand and a dagger in her other, rushing in close to the monsters to attack them. She was quick to dodge their attacks, flipping and rolling out of the way before going in close to deal blow after blow. It was like she was dancing. Link wasn’t even aware there were women fighters during the time period, but the fact definitely didn’t inhibit the warrior.

A shout came from his left and he saw the mayor on the ground, having been thrown off of a towering pig-like creature. He watched as the monster raised a giant club, about to strike down the man, squishing him like a bug. Link wasn’t even aware he had moved when he was suddenly in front the monster, throwing a pot lid at its head.

The creature blinked, turning his attention to the young Hylian.

 _Shit! What do I do now?!_ Link thought to himself. “H-Hey, Ugly!”

“What are you doing, lad?! Get out of here!” the mayor barked behind him.

Link picked up a stone and threw it too at the monster. It bounced off the pig’s snout. “This way!” Link began to run, the lumbering monster following behind him. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, heading into the fields of wheat. He hid among the stalks, ducking down to avoid being seen. Link attempted to keep his harsh breathing quiet, but it didn’t seem to matter.

The creature tossed its head up into the air, inhaling sharply, giant head swinging in his direction once it caught the Hylian’s scent. It swung its club, missing Link by a hair’s breath. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” he swore rapidly, dashing out of the way. He grabbed a pitchfork sticking out of a pile of hay and turned to face the beast. There was no outrunning it in this open field.

The club came down again, Link leaping out of the way, landing harshly on his shoulder in his attempt to stay alive. Pain flared up his arm and he quickly got up as the monster struggled to lift the club back into position. Taking a page from the woman warrior’s book, Link rushed in, screaming. He thrust the pitchfork upwards, catching the underside of the monster’s jaw, pushing it into the thick skin.

Blood gurgled from the creature’s mouth as it fought to wrench itself free. Link wasn’t having it. With all the strength he could muster, Link dragged the monster to the side making it stumble to stay upright. It tripped on its own legs and came crashing to the ground, giving Link the opportunity to thrust his makeshift weapon further into the gullet of the beast. It cried out and Link began to plunge the pitchfork over and over and over into the tough flesh, blood splattering across his skin. And with one final stab, the monster fell still.

Link collapsed against the staff of his weapon, using it to hold himself up as he panted, out of breath from the fight. His eyes were wide with panic and his heart felt like it was trying to beat out of his ribcage. A hand touched his arm and he whirled around, baring his weapon before him. It was the woman from earlier. She held up her hands in defense.

“Whoa, easy there,” she said softly. “You’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Dropping his weapon, Link stood on shaky legs, analyzing the warrior. Her red-brown hair was in a high pony, nearly reaching her waist. Concern reflected back at him from amber eyes, the color of a sunset. Her ghostly pale skin was also flecked with the blood of monsters, a testament to her victories.

“I’m safe?” Link asked. “I did it?”

She nodded. “You did.”

Link fell to his knees, the woman quickly coming to support him. She threw one of his arms around her shoulders and grasped his side to pull him into her body. He was exhausted, and his eyes were so heavy. Maybe he should just… close… his… eyes.

* * *

He awoke in a bed in an unfamiliar room. His body ached like he had been run over. Voices could be heard from somewhere further away. Link thought back, remembering what transpired in the village.

He had killed a monster. An actual for real monster.

“Ah, so the hero awakes.” It was the mayor. “I was just coming to check on you.” A pile of clothes were in his hands, and Link only just realized that he was as naked as newborn baby. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he pulled up the covers to shield his nude body. “Don’t be ashamed, lad,” the mayor spoke. “Who do you think stripped you?”

“Ha…” Link laughed nervously.

“You know, the way you threw that monster to the side, I would of thought there would rippling muscles under those strange clothes of yours. I was shocked see such scrawny arms!”

Link’s face was beet red now, his smile turning into a grimace.

“Speaking of your clothes, we couldn’t salvage them, so we found someone in the village about your size to lend you some clothes. Get changed and come into the kitchen. I’ve got some things to tell you, when you’re ready.” 

The mayor left Link to change. He was given some smallclothes, pants, a shirt, boots, and a simple rough spun tunic. He quickly changed, the clothes fitting a little loose around his body, but they would do. Heading into the kitchen, Link was surprised to see the woman warrior sitting at the table.

“Link,” the mayor started, “I want you to meet Alaina.”

Said woman stood and nodded her head in Link’s direction. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Link was confused. He turned to the mayor. “What’s this about?”

Bo laughed. “Quite sharp, I see. Well, as it so happens, we have a proposal for you, Link. Come. Sit.”

They all gathered around the table, Link waiting with bated breath. Alaina was the one who spoke. “The mayor has informed me that you are looking for a powerful mage to send you home. Luckily for you, we know one. But it seems that we have conflicting interests.”

As quickly as he lit up, Link’s smile diminished. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t think we haven’t noticed the mark on your hand.”

Lifting his dominant hand, Link gazed down at the three triangular symbols embedded in his skin like a tattoo. He shrugged. “It’s nothing important,” he dismissed. “It’s just a birthmark.”

Alaina shook her head. “It’s not just a birthmark, nor is it nothing. That is the emblem to the Royal Family. You’re tied to them somehow. You’ve… been sent down by the Goddesses to answer our prayers.”

“Hold up, I’m not some divine hero. I’m just a guy! I’m no one’s saving grace.”

“You think too little of yourself. I saw what you did out there. You moved without thinking, without any hesitation. You saved a life!”

“Mine, in fact,” the mayor piped up.

Link sneered. “I’m a spineless coward,” he spat. “I could barely do anything against that… thing. It was the first time I’ve done anything like that in my life.”

“You’re no coward,” Alaina said softly. “You’re braver than you think. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but overcoming it. And you overcame when others would have ran.” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “That makes you a hero, and this country needs a true hero right now.”

“What do you mean?”

The mayor shook his head, twiddling with his mustache. “I don’t know how you haven’t heard. Hyrule is at war with the people from the desert tribe. Their king came under the guise of a treaty and slaughtered ours. And now monsters have been attacking every settlement that his army doesn’t.”

So that’s when he was. This was the time of the previous Royal Family’s demise. This wasn’t good; Link came quickly to the conclusion. He could seriously affect the space time continuum if he wasn’t careful. However, he wasn’t seeing too many options at this point.

“What would you have me do?” Link inquired.

“Meet with the princess,” Alaina explained. “I’ll train you to fight while you try and learn this grimoire you have. And hopefully that’ll give enough skill to help us in the fight.”

“And the mage? What happens after?”

“The mage and the princess are one in the same. If you help us, I’m sure she’ll send you home.”

Link thought it over, weighing his options. He could help these people and possibly change the future, but end up back home. But would it even be home at that point? And if he didn’t help, he would be stuck here for the foreseeable future. He didn’t have much of a choice at all.

“Okay,” he said at last, biting his lower lip. “I’ll do it.”

“Right then. Training starts now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that. I feel really good after writing it!
> 
> Please leave me a comment and tell me how I'm doing!


	4. Chapter Four

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Training was intense it would seem. The woman warrior, Alaina was a strict teacher—dedicated, but not uncaring. She was patient with Link and helped him along when he needed assistance. Despite not having trained for any of this kind of stuff before, Link took to it surprisingly easy, like a fish to water.

He would never forget that first day holding a sword. It was a wooden sword, but that didn’t matter. It was still heavy in his hands, and by the time he was done striking at the training dummy for the day, the skin on his palms were blistered and bleeding.

Alaina had taken him aside after training and rubbed a healing salve on his hands and wrapped them in gauze. Link didn’t forget the gentle caresses of her fingers on his damaged skin, and while she was preoccupied with her task, he took the time to observe things about her… like her ears, for one. They were exceptionally long for even Hylian standards, but the lower edge of them were curved in some places, creating a jagged look. And her eyes were much narrower than he had seen before. Link suspected that the fierce woman was of mixed heritage, but he didn’t ask. Nevertheless, she was beautiful and Link often found himself distracted during training because of her… not that he would ever admit to that.

Despite all the trials and tribulations, Link’s training was progressing smoothly. He had bulked up considerably in such a short time, his gangly body turning into lean muscle. It was to be expected he knew, but he often found himself staring in the mirror during the evenings, not recognizing who he saw. He was… proud of his new body and was sure that it would only improve as he stuck to the training regimen.

While his days were filled with physical training, from sunup to sundown, his nights were filled with a different kind of training. He had taken to studying the grimoire in the evenings while he ate, the mayor housing him for the duration of his stay. He took to the magic a little less easily than swordsmanship, but considering few bloodlines could actually do magic at all, he wasn’t one to complain.

So far, he had gotten the hang of a few spells, ones that didn’t require any sacrifice other than his own magical energy. The three he mastered first were fairly simple. One allowed him to travel short distances with great speed, seemingly making him disappear to the average eye. Another was a protection spell that encased the caster in a thick barrier. The third and most volatile one created fire so hot it had the potential to melt flesh. Needless to say, he had been quite cautious practicing that one. Still, it was quite tedious to draw the circles needed every time to cast his spells. When he brought it up to Alaina, she joked about tattooing the circles onto his arms, but Link blanched at the thought. Perhaps they could be sewn into his clothes?

Link woke to the crowing of the cuccos, as he did every morning. He lay still for a moment, pondering what was on the list for today before slowly sitting up and stretching. The borrowed clothes were tight on his body now. Pretty soon, he would be busting seams. He dressed in a sleeveless shirt and some loose shorts before wrapping his wrists to aid in compression. He slipped on his borrowed sandals and headed out the door, swiping an apple or two on the way out. He ate them quickly and threw them in the compost bin before he went on his morning jog, the air already hot and humid. Normally, he would sleep the day away if he could, but Link found it more useful to warm up on his own before Alaina made him warm up in her own way, his body first greatly unused to the activities she administered. Now, it was mostly out of habit.

He reached the large tree on the hill and stopped to observe the village, its inhabitants still slumbering. With a sigh, he got to work, reaching up into the branches of the tree to pull himself up over and over again, making sure his chin overlapped the top before coming back down again. He would go on to doing pushups and sit ups and many other exercises before finally stopping to stretch out his tired muscles. He was in the middle of deep breathing when Alaina rounded the top of the hill, a sheathed broadsword propped over her shoulder, a shield on her back, and bow and quiver in her hand. She was dressed in her normal attire, a black getup covering her from head to toe. It must be unbearably hot, but Link didn’t question why she dressed the way she did.

“Good morning,” she announced her presence. Link turned to her and smiled, nodding his greeting. “I’m glad you decided to warm up without me, because we’ll be skipping the normal stuff this morning.”

“What do you mean?” Link questioned.

“I’ve trained you in a multitude of weapons ranging from one handed to two handed weapons and short range to long range weapons. I’ve taught you how to fight, I’ve taught you to be stealthy and how to hunt, and you’ve trained yourself in some magic. I think now is the time to demonstrate your skills in a test.”

Link perked up and watched as she tossed the weapons she carried to him, snatching them out of the air quickly. He positioned the weapons on his body accordingly and waited for further instruction.

“I will leave and hide myself away in the forest and it will be up to you to find me and defeat me in battle. You will give me one hour and then you can begin. You have until sundown to do so. Failure will result in you trying again until you succeed. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he said in affirmation. “I will not fail.”

Alaina smirked. “We’ll see.” And with that, she was gone.

* * *

Link stood at the edge of the forest, the heat blazing down on his back. It was closer to winter in his own time, but here it was smack dab in the middle of summer. The hour he had to wait was going by so slowly. He wiped the sweat from his brow.

The feeling of the villager’s eyes on him sent shivers up and down his spine despite the heat. They were all waiting for him to get started, whispering their bets of the outcome to his training. He could feel a pair of cool green eyes piercing through him especially sharp and unwavering. It wasn’t long before their owner made themselves known.

Link bit his lip, the skin there chapped, and turned his head to greet Ilia. She stared up at him with adoration and a hint of nervousness. The girl had grown rather attached to him since saving her father. Her feelings only intensified when he started to live with the two as well. And while it was mildly uncomfortable receiving all this attention from a girl—he had never really received any kind of attention at all before—he was hopeful that they could become friends… just friends…

Ilia handed him a wrapped loaf of bread. “In case you get hungry during training.” She scurried off quickly after that, her youthful face quite red.

Flustered himself, Link put the food in his bag, the grimoire already inside. He looked up to the sky and noticed the position of the sun was finally in place. It was time to get started. Stepping into the woods, his test began.

Drawing out his bow, he knocked an arrow in preparation. He knew when Alaina was explaining today’s training that it was more than it seemed. There would be more than just tracking the hunter and defeating her. The woods were teeming with monsters and demons. This was a test of survival.

Once he was far beyond the entrance of the woods, Link began to make use of his new skills of tracking. He immediately noticed footprints in the soft dirt of the forest that seemed to be around the same size and shape of Alaina’s shoes. The headed deeper into the forest before vanishing entirely. Alaina was attempting to throw him off the trail. Link looked for any disturbances to the surrounding forest, barely noticing the scratch marks on a thick tree trunk. His teacher had apparently taken to the trees to avoid leaving any more prints.

How was he supposed to track her now?

Something in Link’s hindbrain—his lizard brain or whatever one wanted to call it—told him to try tracking her by scent, but that was stupid. Unless… he quickly pulled out the grimoire and searched for a spell—anything—that might increase his senses. He found something towards the back of the book that was supposed to awaken the more primal part of the soul and decided that it would have to do.

The spell wasn’t complicated by any means. A few utterings and it was complete, the world becoming more saturated and bright, especially the green of the foliage. He immediately became aware of a scent trail, he could practically see it. It smelled warm, like the sun’s rays on the earth… a little musty with sweat, but undeniably sweet. This was what Alaina smelled like?

Link took off quickly, but quietly as he tracked his teacher. He kept his gait smooth and soft as he moved through the brush, trying not to disturb the wildlife and give himself away. At the same time, he tried not to let himself become distracted by the world around him. A doe was eating grass far to his right, and Link was tempted—strangely enough—to give chase, but Link ignored the urge.

A new smell quickly caught his attention, sending up red flags in his mind. It was pungent and smelled of danger, and it was close by. Stopping, Link peered through the trees and noticed a monster trying to camouflage itself to the forest. It was a lizard-like creature, and Link knew it could spit something deadly at him, whether that was venom or elemental was up for debate.

Holding up his bow, he drew back the string to his cheek and aimed his arrow at the creature’s head. With an exhale, he loosed the arrow. It flew the air with a whistle before piercing the monster directly in the eye. It let out a surprised and pained hiss, but before it could do much else, Link had already drew his sword and swung, cleaving the head from its lizard-y shoulders. Link panted, his nerves rendering him a little out of breath, and put away his weapons. He looked to the sky and swore silently. The sun had moved quite a lot during his little skirmish. He was wasting precious time.

Link was back on the trail quickly, following it through the woods and to a creek where he found that Alaina had left the trees to traverse on foot. He wondered why for all of a split second before he stumbled over a trip wire, the string breaking and activating a mechanism. From out of the trees swung a giant log, and Link barely managed to raise his shield in time to block the incoming attack. The end of the log bashed harshly into the shield with great momentum, and while the wooden shield he bore cracked, surprisingly enough, Link’s arm did not—though there was a great deal of pain now running through said arm. Link swung his arm out and pushed the log away before running out of the way of its path.

Kneeling, Link ripped off his shield and took a good look at his arm. He was impressed that he was strong enough now to knock something as heavy as the log out of the way without suffering any serious breaks, but there was some deep bruising already forming on his forearm, indicating a potential internal injury. He hoped it wasn’t fractured. His shield, on the other hand, wasn’t as lucky as he. It now had a great crack in its face, and Link doubted it would hold up to something of that magnitude a second time. He put the shield back on his back and returned to the trail, careful to avoid any more traps set by his teacher.

He couldn’t help but wonder if this was some sort of amusement for Alaina. After all, that log could have done him some serious harm. Did she have that much faith in him?

Avoiding any further traps, the only other things Link ran across were a couple of low level monsters, which he dispatched of quickly, and an almost run in with the side of a cliff, the scent trail leading right off the edge. Alaina was not making this easy for him.

The sun was high in the sky now, and it was probably at least three in the afternoon. Had he really been in the forest for so long?

Link was contemplating his next move when the sounds of pouring water grabbed his attention. A waterfall. He followed the sound, noticing how Alaina’s scent trail seemed to reappear out of nowhere and was heading in the very same direction. Link smelled her accumulating scent before he saw her. She was sitting with her back to him at the edge of the grotto, facing the waterfall. She turned at his approach and smirked.

“I began to wonder if you would ever find me.” She nodded at the purple flesh of his arm. “I see you stumbled into some trouble.”

Link huffed. “You would know, wouldn’t you?”

“Can you still fight with that arm?”

Pulling out his sword and shield, Link grinned. “Of course.”

Alaina stood, her feet bare and wet from having them in the water, and drew her blades. They squared off, waiting for the other to make the first move. Eyes locked onto each other, they watched for any indication of movement. At this point, even a muscle spasm would set the other off. A lot of time, as Link recalled, the first move would often dictate who would win in battle.

A twig snapped in the distance, and Alaina’s pupils blew wide and she was off quicker than a shot. She was before him suddenly, bearing down on him from above. Link blocked her attack and winced as pain rattled through his shield arm. He gritted his teeth and threw the woman off of him, using her own momentum to send her back into the trees. Dropping to a knee, Link quickly drew an arcane circle in the sand as Alaina came in for another attack, sending a wave of fire at her. She was forced to go on the defensive then, leaping out of the way of the flames right as Link came rushing at her with his sword.

Their weapons clashed over and over again, sending sparks flying through the air. Link reinforced his grip with his other hand and pushed harder against his teacher, pushing down the warrior to her knees. He failed to notice the dagger swiping at him from below, catching his leg and making him buckle. It gave Alaina the chance to backflip out of the way from any attempt at retaliation.

The two panted, their battle slowing, bodies growing tired. They stared at one another, both kneeling on the ground, propped up by their weapons. Link could feel the respect radiating off of Alaina, but he hadn’t beaten her yet. He felt he wasn’t deserving of that respect until he could successfully say he had won.

With a groan, Link picked himself up, as did Alaina, the two ready to go again. Just as he was about to launch into another attack, the earth suddenly started to shake. Both warriors began to turn their heads in confusion, looking around to see what was happening. A collection of boulders began to rise from the earth, taking on the form of a bipedal Stone Talus. It must’ve woken up at the sound of their fighting. Link didn’t even have time to speak before the creature had swung its massive arm, Alaina having turned to receive the brunt of the impact to her torso. She careened through the air before splashing down into the grotto.

Link stood still, the creature not having noticed him yet. He was so underprepared to handle this! Alaina had yet to come up for air, and Link felt himself shaking in anticipation. Throwing down his weapons, he dashed to the waters, narrowly avoiding a thrown boulder, and dove in. Alaina was resting unconscious at the bottom, hair floating around her like a fan. Link swam quickly and scooped her up in his arms before returning to the surface. They breeched through the waters, and Link tried to quickly think of a plan before the Talus noticed that they were back above the surface.

He looked around frantically and felt a sudden sense of relief when he noticed how the steep rock face behind the waterfall curved in, shadows dancing on the edges of the water. A cave! He swam, struggling with another body, to the waterfall and ducked around it. Link pulled himself and Alaina up onto the bank and into the cave. He carefully laid Alaina against a wall, watching as she coughed herself awake, dispelling any water from her lungs.

“Are you all right?” he asked her.

She shook her head, bangs plastered to her face. “It hurts… to breathe!” she gasped.

Concerned, Link’s brows furrowed and he grimaced. “Uh, okay? Um… shit! I-I’m going to look at it, okay?” He moved to undress the warrior when her hand grabbed his wrist and squeezed.

“No,” she said weakly.

“Alaina, I have to!”

“No!” She passed out from the pain quickly.

Link wanted to respect her wishes, he really did. If this was about being indecent in front of a man, he completely understood, but he couldn’t just go along with societal norms at the expense of Alaina’s health. So ignoring her pleas, he began to undress the injured warrior. First came the hood, then the leather spaulders, belts, and corset. “Wow,” Link commented, removing the armor. “My first time undressing a girl and—you know what, no. I’m not even going there. I’m such a—“ His words trailed off as he took in Alaina’s body, having raised the bottom of her shirt. Her skin, where it wasn’t a ghostly pale, was nearly black. Intricate, blue tattoos danced around her rips and down to her hips before disappearing into her leggings. Link was distracted by all the new information presented before him, blushing at the sight of the woman’s curved while still muscular torso, but quickly recovered as he noticed the dark bruising at Alaina’s ribs. It looked much worse than his own bruising.

“This looks bad.” If he had to bet, there were probably some cracked ribs, maybe some internal bleeding. Link wasn’t sure what to do. Were you supposed to bind cracked ribs or not? He knew you were supposed to ice them, but he didn’t have any of that here. Looking through the soaking wet contents of his bag, he pulled out the grimoire, relieved that it was still in one piece. The bread and the other things weren’t as lucky.

He flipped through the pages of the grimoire, looking for an ice spell. If there were ones for fire, there had to be some for ice. Link was relieved to find there were, in fact, a few spells for ice. Picking one that would simply create some with a little water as material, Link quickly drew the circle with a stone and gathered some water from the falls with one of the spaulders. He set it in the center of the circle and said the correct words and watched as the water froze over like a pond in the dead of winter. He chipped at it with an arrow, breaking it into pieces, and gathered it up in some scrap cloth to place on the bruised area.

Alaina woke at the cold sensation, hissing through her teeth. “Ah!”

“Hey, it’s okay. Just relax,” Link told the girl.

Alaina glared at the Hylian through narrowed eyes, teeth clenched, body shaking. She was angry. “You saw!” she growled.

Link resisted to the urge to growl back. “You’re ribs are most likely cracked,” he said, trying to stay calm. It became increasingly harder when the girl slapped his hand away as he tried to move on with the icing. “If you move like that, you’ll only hurt yourself worse.” She continued to thrash and Link snapped, grabbing her wrists in his hands, roaring in her face. “Stop!”

Alaina’s eyes grew wide, but she did still her movements. Link released her and huffed, retrieving the dropped ice and continuing on with his previous task. “At least you’re awake,” he huffed, irritated. “You can tell me what to do now.”

Jaw clenching and unclenching, Alaina looked towards the cave opening. “Is the Talus gone?”

“I haven’t heard it in a while.”

Alaina sighed. “I wasn’t even aware that one moved into the grotto. I’ve been training here for years now. I should have been more alert.”

“It’s not your fault,” Link argued. “So what do we do?”

“We need to get back to the village. They have potion that can help us heal,” the warrior woman stated. She looked deeper into the cave. “We could get lost if we try the cave system, but it’s better than sitting here.”

Nodding in agreement, Link helped Alaina to her feet and helped her to redress, forgoing the leather corset. She clutched her ribs and smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “You’ll have to protect us with that bow if anything comes at us in here.” Her eyes peered into the darkness. “Let’s get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter this time. I didn't want to include a play by play training montage cause I thought that would be boring. I figured a few key features from training would work well enough. I'm not sure if everyone will like this chapter, but it was fun to write.
> 
> Speaking of fun, Age of Calamity is hella fun. Link is such a goofball in it.
> 
> And thank you all for the lovely comments. I've really been enjoying reading them! It makes me happy to know people are interested in this story.
> 
> Stay safe in these trying times, guys!


	5. Chapter Five

The cave was quite dark. Link had to cast a light spell in order for him and Alaina to be able to see. They had been walking for quite some time now, Alaina’s pace slow and careful to avoid jarring her ribs. The ice had melted long ago.

She let out a sigh. “Well, I guess you passed the test at least, if something good were to come of this situation.”

Link shook his head in denial. “No,” he said. “I didn’t defeat you. I didn’t pass the test, and it’s probably long past nightfall.”

Alaina stopped them by placing a hand on Link’s shoulder. She ran her hand down his bare arm, gently grasping his elbow. Her touch sent goosebumps across Link’s skin. “You’ve more than passed, Link. You could have left me to drown, but you didn’t. Even though you were undoubtedly scared, you still risked yourself to save me. Just like with the mayor. You have the makings of a true hero, royal marking or not.”

Link took a look down at the back of his hand, staring at the mark branded into his skin. Alaina had called him a hero before, but it was hard to believe. Hell, it was still hard to believe. Link’s gaze moved to Alaina’s hand, still holding his arm in place. She noticed and blushed lightly.

“What I’m trying to say is…” faster than he expected, Alaina had darted close and pecked him on the cheek, “thank you for saving me.” She dropped his arm and walked away before Link could process what had transpired. He watched her walk further into the cave, his own cheeks lighting up in embarrassment. Alaina looked over her shoulder, unable to meet his eyes. “Are you coming?”

“Y-Yeah,” Link stuttered, shaking his head to bring him out of his stupor. It was just a kiss. Nothing more, and certainly no reason to get as worked up as he was. Besides, he had a mission to complete: get the hell out of here and back to the village.

They emerged from the caves sometime later, though it was barely any brighter outside. Night had, indeed, fallen. They would have to either set up camp or traverse the forest through the night. Both were dangerous options.

Alaina was looking up at the stars with a look of disdain on her face. “What’s wrong?” Link asked her.

“We missed a beautiful sunset,” she said sadly. Her eyes glanced over at the Hylian man. “I had planned for us to camp at the grotto after our battle. Sunset it quite beautiful there… the waterfall and the lake turns a beautifully rich orange color.”

Link smiled. “I can imagine… We’ll definitely come back another time to see it. Promise.”

Alaina returned the smile and fully faced Link. “Well, what should we do? Do we set up camp or keep going?”

Thinking for a moment, fingers grabbing his chin, Link glanced at the auburn haired woman’s ribs. “How do you feel?”

“Honestly, not great.” Her fingers curled tightly at the fabric above her injury.

“Then we’ll set up camp. We should continue on to find a good spot away from danger.”

“Agreed.”

The two eventually came across a small patch of ground nestled between the trees. It was a decent place to set up camp. Alaina agreed to start the fire if Link hunted. With a nod, Link drew his bow and set off into the trees to find food.

Once he was a good distance away from the temporary camp, Link dropped his arms and let out a huge breath of air. He was grateful for the suggestion to go hunt. Now he would be able to have a moment alone to clear his thoughts. Things felt different between him and his teacher, or rather ex-teacher. Ever since that peck on the cheek, tension had grown in the air. Not to mention that spell he had cast earlier to heighten his senses had yet to wear off. It felt like he was in a constant state of drowning in a sea of Alaina’s scent. She didn’t sting, no, it was rather addicting actually, but quite dizzying for some reason. He could smell the way her scent changed, categorizing it with an emotion she displayed. Out here in the wild, he could breathe. If these senses were here to stay, then Link needed to get used to them quickly.

They should come in handy for hunting, at least.

Link raised his nose to the sky and inhaled deeply. He smelled more deer than anything, the herd having trampled through here minutes ago. He began to follow their trail, notching an arrow on his bow. It didn’t take long to find them, a couple of doe grazing in a clearing. However, wherever there were doe, there was usually at least one buck watching. Link spotted the buck further out in the clearing, head held high in the search for danger. It would alert the herd if he got too close, and it might attack him. It would be best to take out a straggler, but how impressive it would be if Link managed to fell the buck instead.

Decidedly, Link crept around the herd to get behind the large buck. He drew back his bowstring and released the arrow. It whizzed through the air and planted itself in the deer’s side, a place that could take hours to kill an animal. It let out a gruesome screech and whipped around quickly, facing Link with hatred in its eyes. The herd scattered. Stomping his hoof, it charged. Link scrambled backwards to escape, dropping his next arrow in attempt to notch it. He stumbled and landed on his rump, eyes widening as they stared at their doom.

Gored to death by a deer… what a way to go.

Before the creature reached him, a knife flew through the air, piercing the creature in the neck. It wheezed and collapsed to the ground. Alaina stood at the edge of the clearing, holding her ribs as she panted. She walked to the deer, making sure it was dead before removing her knife and cleaning it. Her amber eyes glared down at the bewildered Hylian. “I see praise is too much for you to handle if it causes you to act this stupid. What were you thinking?”

“I-I wanted… I wanted you to be impressed… to be proud.”

Alaina huffed in response. “I was proud of you before, but now… I’m ashamed. I didn’t teach you to act stupid. A straggler would have been fine, but you decided to act on pride and go for something underprepared.”

“It’s just a deer!” Link insisted.

“It’s a life! We don’t just take lives as we see fit, as if all they’re worth is some trophy! Everything has value in its existence. And you belittled one today.” Alaina bent over him, her eyes sharp. “Take only what you need.” She stood straight. “Get up and bring the deer to camp. We’ll honor its sacrifice. Properly.”

Link had never been so embarrassed.

* * *

He had screwed up, he realized. He knew that now. A girl showed a little bit of interest in him and he flew off the deep end, thinking he was some bigshot trophy hunter. Alaina had every right to be angry at him.

After they had gotten back, Alaina worked quickly and quietly. She sent a quick prayer in thanks to the deer before skinning it and making quick work of its meat. They ate what they could and salted and dried out the rest. The hide was dried out too for further use later, and the bones were packed away in the bag to be boiled for the marrow or to make tools.

Link now laid on the ground across from the woman in silence. He didn’t know how to apologize, and the tension between them had only grown. He tossed and turned all night, not getting a wink of sleep. And when the sun finally rose, they broke camp without a word and headed for the village.

They finally arrived around midday and were welcomed back by worried faces. Alaina was quickly escorted to the healer’s hut to fix her ribs, leaving Link at the village entrance. He didn’t mention his arm when asked if he was alright, choosing to head to his borrowed room instead, throwing himself on the bed. Every time someone came to see him, that someone mostly having been Ilia, he dismissed them. Link was determined to wallow.

Some hero he was, he thought dejectedly.

He finally dragged himself from the room when he began to smell his own filth. It was time for a bath. Link gathered up some clothes and headed for the river, before the rest of the village could rise for the day. He found what he thought to be a secluded spot and disrobed, stepping into the cool water. He leaned against a rock and sighed, another sigh echoing his. Confused, Link moved to find the sound, heading to the part of the river surrounded by a small cliff. When he rounded the bend, Link came nose to nose with Alaina. They both blushed and quickly turned around and sunk into the water.

“S-Sorry!” Link stammered. “I didn’t know it was you!”

“No! I mean—it’s okay!”

They sat in silence, before the Hylian man went to leave. Before he could get away, Alaina’s hand shot out to grab his wrist. He stopped and stared in the opposite direction from the woman.

“I… I…” She was struggling to find her words.

“I’m sorry,” Link said suddenly. “For the deer, I mean. You were right. I was acting stupid and immature.”

Alaina looked down at the water. “Truth be told,” she began, “most hunters have a moment like yours. I know I did. I shouldn’t have overacted like that. I should have told you calmly why it was wrong. So I’m sorry too.” She dropped his wrist, crossing her arms in front of her chest, holding them tightly.

Link sat back down and smiled lightly, relieved that he had been forgiven. He went to open his mouth, when Alaina spoke again.

“I _am_ proud of you, Link. You’re my precious student. And I think you’re ready for great things.” She left quickly thereafter, leaving Link in stunned silence.

* * *

A few days had passed since their return and things were becoming normal again, much to everyone’s relief. Link picked up his training again, though he wasn’t always under Alaina’s supervision. And he still hadn’t told anyone about his arm, choosing to keep it wrapped and hidden.

It was when he was sparring against the woman warrior that it got brought up again. “You seem a bit slower and weaker today. You’re moving very carefully,” she had said, sharp in her observation.

Link looked away, not acknowledging the statement.

Alaina frowned. “Show me your arm. Now, please.” When he didn’t move, she grabbed it, and it took all Link had to not cry out in pain. Alaina pulled up his sleeve and undid the bandages. Underneath was dark and purple skin, the surrounding area swollen and tender. “You never got it treated did you? Link, you can’t ignore your health just because I was mad at you,” she chastised. “Is this a way of punishing yourself?”

He didn’t answer that either.

Pulling out the salve from her pouch, Alaina gingerly applied the medicine to the arm and escorted him to the healer’s hut. The healer took one look at his arm and made a tsk noise. “It’s fractured.” She moved to her cabinet and pulled out a bottle with red liquid inside. She shoved it in Link’s face. “Drink this,” the woman ordered. “It’ll speed up the healing process, but the arm will need to be splinted. And that means no training for at least three weeks. Without the potion, it would have been even longer.”

And so, Link’s next few weeks were spent relaxing more than anything, though he still exercised the rest of his body. It was rather boring, but enlightening. Link learned more about the village than ever before. He even managed to learn a few things about Alaina.

As it turned out, she had just showed up one day, asking for a place to live in exchange for offering her services to protect the village from monsters. She lived at the edge of town, facing the forest so that she could be ready for any attack that might come at any time. She was quite dedicated in her job too. The number of monster attacks had decreased over the years with her presence. The only reason the village had been attacked when Link arrived was that she was out of town, running an errand for a villager. The monsters saw it as an opportunity and struck promptly. Of course, she returned quickly to help.

Link also learned that no one knew from where she came. She was rather secluded and didn’t really talk to anyone outside of her work. No one brought up her strange marking to him, so Link assumed that no one else but him knew about them. He didn’t bring them up to anyone either.

The more he learned of his ex-teacher, the more he wanted to know about her. She was a mystery to everyone.

After Link had recovered, the long awaited day had come without him realizing it. He was sitting at the table, eating breakfast when Alaina had burst in, gear in hand. “Pack up when you’re done eating,” she had told him. “The day we travel to the battlefield has come at long last.”

Link gulped at the statement, his anxiety bubbling up inside him. He was scared. But despite that, Link promptly finished his meal and headed to his room to pack. He didn’t have much to pack as everything but the grimoire was borrowed, so it didn’t take long. Link rejoined Alaina downstairs once he was done. “Ready, I guess,” he informed.

Alaina smiled comfortingly at him. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll continue to train as we traveled. We won’t reach the battlefield for at least a week either. You’ll be ready by then.”

Link didn’t believe it one bit.

* * *

Teeth ground tight, anxiety rippled through Link like boiling water. He was about to head right into the center of the war between the Hyrule and the Gerudo. Sure, he had gotten marginally stronger since coming to this time, but what did that matter?! It was still war, for Hylia’s sake! What could he do? When he actually managed to do well, he just made a fool of himself soon after.

“What are you thinking about?” Alaina broke through his thoughts. “You seem to be troubled by something.”

Link frowned and scratched the back of his head. “I’m just wondering what I can actually do about this war. I mean, even if I manage to save a couple people every once in a while, I’m still one guy. And what if I screw up like with the deer? What if my pride gets the better of me again?”

Alaina threw her head back and laughed. She clutched her sides, having to stop and lean on tree. “I’m sorry!” she gasped. Quickly, Alaina straightened up and regained her composure. “I don’t mean to make light of your concerns, but I doubt what happened with the deer will ever happen again. Not after the progress you made. I have faith in you, Link. Even if you only manage to save a couple people, you still made a difference to them. That’s all that matters.”

“I guess you’re right. I mean it’s not like I’ll have to fight off waves and waves of monsters all by myself. Surely our comrades are highly trained soldiers.” Alaina didn’t say anything, just simply shrugged and continued on her way. Link didn’t feel comfortable with that response. “Alaina? The Hylian guards are highly trained, right?”

“Some of them.”

Link didn’t bring it up again, refusing to think about what could happen. They walked on for a couple of more hours, emerging from the other side of the forest and onto the plains of Hyrule Field. The sun was just starting to set, turning the sky a pinkish-orange color. The grass took on a golden hue, the wind rustling their blades gently. It was beautiful.

Alaina took a deep breath and sighed. “Hyrule’s sunsets are great, aren’t they? Although, they’re nothing compared to home’s.”

“Where’s home for you, Alaina?” Link asked, genuinely interested in anything she chose to share.

The warrior woman smiled fondly, her face growing soft. It was quite the sight to see, considering how alert Alaina always was. She looked younger somehow. “It’s a very… special place. Dark clouds roll across a glowing sky, the land bathed in a soft light. It’s serene and quiet.” Her face began to twist into something resembling disgust. “It’s also a very malicious place. The people, while they can be gentle, they are timid and afraid of even their own shadows. They fear change and anything that is different from them. And what they do not understand, they worship as gods. You would think by that description, they are unable to cause pain. But their fear makes them neglectful and about as loyal as a wild animal, so easily turned on one another.” Alaina dropped her head and clenched her fists. “I will never go back there.”

Link grimaced, feeling awkward about bringing the subject up. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to bring up any painful memories.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s natural that you would have questions. And we’ve known each other for a while now. I believe I can share my secrets with you.” He felt honored. “But there will be time for that later. For now, we need to find a safe space to camp.”

They ended up setting up their bedrolls between a patch of apple trees, a small outcropping sheltering them from any wind. They built a fire quickly and gathered some water from a pond to filter and drink. They wouldn’t need to hunt for a while yet, their provisions full.

Link was snacking on an apple when a thought occurred to him. According to the history books from his own time, the biggest battle of the war happens somewhere in Central Hyrule Field during late summer. It was just now settling into midsummer, so there was still some time left. Where were they going then? “So, um, where exactly are we headed?”

Alaina bit into her own apple and swallowed. “Well, we’ll be stopping at a small village by the name of Kakariko to resupply. A good portion of Hyrule’s citizens have taken shelter there. After that, we’ll be joining the army closer to the canyon to ward off the incoming monsters and warriors. Hopefully, we’ll be able to report directly to the princess. After all, she’ll be interested in meeting you.”

“Right… the princess…” Link trailed off. He didn’t want to initiate any specific talk about the princess. It would reveal just how little he knew about the Royal Family of this time, and he would surely be questioned about where he was from.

“Okay! I suppose we’re all settled in for the night. I guess now is a good time to tell you about myself,” Alaina announced.

Link held up his hands. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to,” the woman persisted. She cleared her throat. “I am the product of a forbidden love.”

“What? Really?”

She nodded, almost eagerly. “My father was Hylian, and my mother… well, she was from a different world entirely. Literally. She came looking for a hero to help save her people, and the two fell in love.” Alaina paused for a moment of thought. “It’s strange to tell someone this. I’ve always kept it hidden. I didn’t want people knowing about me, but I’m glad I’m sharing it with you.”

“Why?”

“I think I can relate to you and you to me. I mean, you’re Hylian, but you’re obviously not from here. So I can imagine you know what it’s like to feel like an outsider.”

 _You can say that again,_ Link thought to himself. “So what happened between your parents?”

“My father helped my mother, and she had to return to her world. She came back to visit a couple of times, and somewhere along the way, she became pregnant with yours truly. Her people were less than thrilled. And she was ostracized.” Alaina grew serious and faced Link directly. “They say light and shadow are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other, but the two will never truly meet. Her thought like this, and when I was a young girl, we were banished. Mother and I went to find my father, but we learned he’d been killed in battle. She couldn’t take it, and died.”

The air was tense. Alaina had dropped quite the bomb, and Link didn’t know what to say. Luckily, he didn’t have to.

“What about you?” the woman brought up. “Where are you from?”

Or maybe he was unlucky. “I, uh—“ No, he was definitely lucky, or at least lucking out. As soon as he began to speak, a monster had leapt from the trees landing on Link’s back, shrieking like a banshee. It was quickly dispatched of (it was a Bokoblin, after all), and Link huffed. “I’m going to bed,” he announced, slipping into the bedroll. _I’m such a bastard… sorry, Alaina._

He didn’t sleep a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was more of a bonding chapter, so you guys could get to know Alaina a bit more. It should be super obvious now.
> 
> Sorry, if the chapter was a bit rushed. I don't plan on the story being very long, so I'm trying to fit the information in as fluidly as possible. Plus, the healing process can be boring, so I didn't want you guys to have to sit through that.
> 
> And if you haven't noticed, this Hyrule is a bit of a mashup of a few Hyrules. I don't want to limit the world to a specific game, so this is an AU world as well.
> 
> Also, sorry if Link is a little too OOC. I just think a nerdy Link would try and impress the first person who showed interest in him by whatever he thought they might find cool.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> So this first chapter is a little rough, but I was mainly trying to get back into writing after a period of absence. Also, I have no proofreader, so there will most likely be mistakes and a potential lack of flow. Hopefully, once the story is over, I'll go back and fix things.  
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
